Knowledge of signs, treatment and need for urgent management in patients presenting with an acute ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack: a prospective study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess stroke awareness among patients presenting to the emergency department with an acute ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).


METHODS
A consecutive cohort of patients presenting with a cerebrovascular event was prospectively enrolled over a 15-month period and questionnaires were administered. If the patient was unable to respond to the questions or answer the questionnaire, it was administered to the primary caregiver. Comprehension of having a cerebrovascular event, reason for delay in presentation, mode of arrival and knowledge of treatment modalities were determined.


RESULTS
Only 42% of 400 patients thought they were having a stroke or TIA. The median time to presentation was 3.4 h. Delayed presentation was almost equal in men and women. When asked about onset, 19.4% thought that a stroke came on gradually and only 51.9% thought immediate presentation was crucial. 20.8% of patients had heard of thrombolysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Community knowledge of ischaemic stroke needs to be enhanced so that individuals present earlier, leading to timely management.
Stead
L G
LG
Department of Emergency Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA. stead.latha@mayo.edu
Vaidyanathan
L
L
Bellolio
M F
MF
Kashyap
R
R
Bhagra
A
A
Gilmore
R M
RM
Decker
W W
WW
Enduri
S
S
Suravaram
S
S
Mishra
S
S
Nash
D
D
Wood
H M
HM
Yassa
A S
AS
Hoff
A M
AM
Brown
R D
RD
D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001364:Awareness; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires